Serving breakfast at Peace Lutheran Church
It was 26⁰ with a wind chill of 19⁰. At 5:00 this morning, frost covered the trees, coated grass on the ground and reflected the season’s festive holiday light decorations. It was quiet and still with few if any people traveling the roads.
My car was just starting to feel warmer as I arrived early at Peace Lutheran Church. Sitting in the parking lot looking at the darkened church, I thought of the people inside, taking brief shelter from the cold and insecurity of homelessness. They spent the night at the church. I wondered if they too felt as though they had just gotten warm when it was time to step out into the elements again.
Peace Lutheran Church is one of the many local communities of faith partnering with Room In The Inn to provide dinner, breakfast, a snack bag, and safe and warm overnight shelter one night each week from November to March. Congregation members, serving as hosts, stay overnight with their guests, prepare meals, and provide an environment where their guests come to understand people care. Likewise, hosts come to understand people living on our Memphis streets are more than a statistic.
Folding blankets in preparation for the next guests.
Nicholas, one of the dedicated Friday evening hosts and a senior at Carver High School, put me to work right away. As the guests strip the linens from their cots or air mattresses, I gathered the sheets for volunteers to wash at home and return to the church within the week. I folded and placed blankets at the foot of each bed. I was thinking this was such a simple task when Nicholas explained how much faster cleaning up goes with extra hands.
Church volunteers drive guests downtown by 7:00 AM. But first, breakfast is served. This morning, we served sausage patties and garlic bread. Instant oatmeal, cereal, juice and coffee were also available. After asking if everyone had their first plate, guests would come back to see if seconds were available. Not knowing when they would have another meal did not stand in the way of ensuring everyone had a chance to eat first.
Through the rest of my day, I kept the guests in mind. What are they doing now? Where will they stay tonight? Will they have anything to eat this evening? Will I see them again? I think of Nicholas and other church volunteers who provide security to our homeless during the cold months.
Nicholas and Meredee, awesome Peace Lutheran and Room In The Inn Volunteers!
I will see them again, and Nicholas, Meredee and other church volunteers too if I dedicate one weekend per month, five months per year to supporting Peace Lutheran Church and Room In The Inn. For such a minimal time commitment – as little as one weekend per month during the coldest months of the year – and such simple tasks, the impact is significant.
Room in the Inn-Memphis gets its name from a story in the Bible about a family coming to a small town called Bethlehem and not finding any room in the inn. With the vital services Room In The Inn provides, many more without a home hear “yes, there is room for you here.”
Room In The Inn has participating sites all over the city. Is your congregation one of them? To find out and see how you can provide support see http://www.roomintheinn-memphis.org/.